The present invention relates to shower stall enclosures in general and more particularly to a shower stall enclosure which prevents the escape of splashed or sprayed water without the use of a door or curtain.
Shower stalls are, of course, well known, and various configurations have been used in homes and institutions, etc., as a means of bathing the human body for centuries. It will also be appreciated that free standing shower stalls having various types of construction, including molded fiberglass shower stalls and bath tub/shower combination units have also been used in the construction of many modern and new homes. All of the prior art stalls, however, typically have one or more objectionable characteristics, which characteristics are eliminated by the shower stall of the present invention. For example, the standard prior art free standing shower stall was typically a structure completely enclosed except for a door or entry way. This entry way was then sealed off by either a folding or swinging door and in some instances by a curtain. It will be appreciated, however, that the use of curtains is not usually satisfactory for completely preventing the escape of water from a shower stall as it splashes up around the bottom of the curtain and around the sides. Furthermore, such shower curtains are typically pushed aside and hang in pleats once the shower is out of use such that these pleats prevent the complete drying of the shower curtain and allow for the formation of mold, fungus, odors, etc. Likewise, doors whether folding or of a swinging type typically require the use of tracks and/or moldings which are used to help seal the door to prevent the escape of water. These tracks, however, also provide a point of water pooling and help in the creation of odors, mold, fungus and the like. Furthermore, if one is careless in using the standard shower stall, the door and/or curtain may not be completely closed and even greater amounts of water will escape and possibly cause damage to the exterior or the room in which the shower stall is located. Thus, although shower stalls have been used for years, little has been done to improve the ability of the shower stall to prevent water and moisture from escaping and possibly causing damage to surrounding structures.
An investigation into some of the prior art related to the field of shower stalls revealed no reference that was significantly relevant to this invention. One reference, U.S. Pat. No. 3,852,834 issued to Earl Laverne Morris on Dec. 10, 1974 is concerned with a modular combination plumbing fixture having a unitary shower enclosure with a single entrance and a shower head mounted on the frame of the entrance such that water cannot be sprayed outside of the shower door. The shower stall of this invention is primarily for use in institutions such as penal institutions wherein the requirements of unusual strength and resistance to intentional damage and destruction is of prime importance. This shower stall, of course, in no way prevents the escape of moisture and water splashed outside of the stall unit. Furthermore, although the shower stall disclosed by this patent may well be of great value with respect to the use in penal institutions and the like, it in no way solves any of the problems for preventing the development of fungus, molds, odors and the like as was discussed, heretofore.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,905,048 issued to Hans Gunter Moller on Sept. 16, 1975 discloses a method for producing molded sanitary cells from thermoplastic panels by deep drawing the panels to obtain intragally molded parts. More particularly, the disclosure in this patent is concerned with providing a unitary molded unit containing all of the sanitary fixtures of a bathroom including the toilet, the bath tub, and a wash basin. Therefore, although this patent does describe and illustrate the use of plastics and such materials in producing bathroom and water-resistent units, it in no way discloses or teaches a device which prevents the escape of splashed or sprayed water from the shower stall during the process of taking a shower.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,940,806, and 3,895,398 issued to Bernard Mustee on Mar. 2, 1976, illustrate a free standing shower stall including a base, wall panels, a rail, etc., which uses water-tight hinges such that the side panels may be folded into a small compact unit for shipment prior to installing at its permanent site. Further, although these patents disclose several ways of joining panels to fabricate a shower stall, the shower stall in this patent uses a conventional shower door and/or curtain arrangement to prevent water from escaping from the shower stall unit itself. Thus, although the shower stall of disclosed in this patent could be of significant benefit as far as compact storage is concerned prior to installation, it in no way overcomes any of the shortcomings discussed heretofore with respect to reducing the collection of water which results in odors, fungus and mold.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,984,880 issued to Arnold F. Schrameyer on Oct. 12, 1976, discloses a plastic water guard unit for use with a shower/tub combination. The water guard unit works in combination with the shower curtains to help prevent water from escaping around the edges of the shower curtain. However, these guard units in no way prevent the collection of moisture on the shower curtain itself and in part provide even further collection points where water may collect with a resulting increase in odors, fungus, mold and the like.